Fairytales
by SquiggleB
Summary: Santana wakes up to a cold empty bed to realise Brittany is missing. Where can she even be on a Sunday morning? Shamelessly fluffy.


Authors Note: When did it get so fluffy in here?

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On Sunday mornings Santana always allowed herself to sleep in. It was the one day of the week where she had no commitments and no obligations to be even remotely conscious before at least 11am, a fact she took regular advantage of. So that morning when she opened blurry eyes to the curtained room and glanced at the clock she couldn't help but groan to discover it was only 7am.

She blinked a few times and stretched her limbs, contorting in such a way that she ended up sprawled across the sheets, legs dangling off the other side of the bed. It was then with sudden realisation she noticed that Brittany wasn't there. She softly touched the pillow to find it cold, indicating that the side usually occupied by her girlfriend had been vacant for some time.

By natural instinct panic set in, and a slideshow of all the possible worst case scenarios played out in her mind, ranging from kidnapping to alien abductions. Santana's thought processes where Brittany was involved were rarely even remotely rational, so the immediate conclusion that something was wrong seemed entirely justifiable.

Brittany should be in bed beside her right now and was not. Had not been for hours. Taking a deep breath and attempting to acquire a semblance of calm, Santana reached for her phone and dialled the familiar number. A sudden noise penetrated the room, and Santana recognised the muffled strains of Baby One More Time playing from Brittany's phone which was obscured by a pile of clothes on the floor.

A renewed wave of panic infiltrated once again and Santana leapt of the bed. Grabbing an old pair of jeans and a shirt she was pretty sure was Brittany's, she flew out of the room and downstairs, running into the kitchen and nearly colliding headlong into her mother.

"Good morning Santana, I'm surprised to see you awake at this hour." Mrs Lopez greeted cheerfully, then frowned at the frenzy with which Santana was flitting from room to room. "What's wrong darling?"

"Mum have you seen Brittany?" The words came out in a rushed sentence, as though there weren't even time to take a breath.

"No, I thought she was sleeping over last night?"

"She was but now she's gone and I don't know where and I have to find her in case something has happened. What if she's in trouble?"

"Baby what could possibly have happened to her? Maybe she just went for a walk, she's probably going to walk through that door any minute," As though the very sentence might induce the event, Santana's eyes swung to the brown oak door, willing it to open and Brittany to be there smiling.

"Listen sweetheart you need to calm down, she may have had to run home and get something. Everyone knows you're comatose until midday on Sundays, I'll bet she didn't even think you'd notice." Mrs Lopez rationalised, going back to preparing breakfast, apparently unconcerned.

Her mother's words made perfect sense, and Santana knew she was probably being crazy, but what if she _was _right and something awful had happened. She couldn't take that chance. Not with Brittany. _Besides_, Santana thought, _she would have left me a note. _

Grabbing her keys near the front door she flung herself into her car and drove. Grabbing her phone and dialling one handed, steering recklessly with the other, Santana called Brittany's parents not caring in the slightest if it meant waking them up on a Sunday morning. As the answering machine message played out for the third time, she gave up, instead driving circles around the streets in case the other girl had indeed gone for a run. She used the time to rack her brain for any place that Brittany might have been drawn to so early in the morning.

With sudden inspiration, Santana took the next left, driving in the direction of the school. A memory of finding Brittany on the school field one day practising routines after a particularly harsh tongue lashing from Coach Sylvester floated to mind, so when Santana jogged between the bleachers her heart fell when she noticed the empty expanse of grass before her. She had been so sure.

Rushing back to the car, she knew exactly where to look next. Last summer they had spent almost every day by the duck pond in the north park, Brittany delighting in way the ducks swarmed them in droves, bustling for a better chance at a chunk of bread. Today it really felt as though Spring was giving way as Summer took hold, and the warmth and sunshine had probably reminded Brittany of the days they had spent together curled up on a blanket by the water.

The memory brought a smile to Santana's lips as she parked the car and hurdled along the pathway to the pond, ignoring the staring faces of mothers and children alike. She rounded the corner, cutting through the brush and bursting out into the clearing, startling a group of young boys who had been examining a slug with much interest until Santana had come flying out of the garden. Her eyes searched the clearing, taking in every man, woman and child but even amongst a crowd Santana could tell Brittany was not here. She would know her girlfriend from any angle or distance after spending so many hours of her life simply watching the other girl, as if to burn every detail into her memory. Such a habit was coming in handy today.

The next place she visited was the Sunday markets that Brittany had been begging to be taken to for months but never managed to get Santana out of bed in time for. After that it was the church Brittany's family attended every Sunday, the same one she had attended until she had begun spending her Sunday mornings cuddling a snoring Santana instead. She even tried the dance studio, rattling all the doors and looking through windows just ensure it really was closed.

Driving home she tried Brittany's home number again to no avail, knowing it was unlikely to get a response as she'd just seen the residents of the Peirce home not fifteen minutes ago. She pulled into the driveway and stormed through the front door, calling to her mother as she searched yet another round of the living room and kitchen. Taking the stairs two at a time Santana ran to her room again, but wasn't in the least surprised to find it empty. Somehow the room looked cold and depressing with the curtains still drawn, the darkness seeming to weigh heavily on her shoulders.

She flopped down onto the bed again, nuzzling her face into Brittany's pillow, taking in the scent of raspberry and vanilla shampoo that countless nights worth of sleepovers had imprinted permanently into the linen. Glancing at the clock for the second time that morning, she saw it was now 9am. Two whole hours had passed since she'd begun her search and she'd made no progress. Despair welled up and Santana scrunched her eyes closed, forcing back the tears that threatened to well up. _No_, she told herself firmly, _there isn't time to be pathetic_. Getting up she went in search of her mother,

Poking her head into the back garden she found the woman hanging washing.

"Mum has she been here?"

"No Santana, you mean you haven't found her yet?" A frown creased Mrs Lopez's face, the beginnings of genuine concern starting to show.

"No, I haven't. Mum she could be anywhere, she doesn't have her phone and no one's seen her and... and..." Santana tried and failed to keep her breathing under control but the sudden enormity of the situation hit her. Brittany was actually missing.

"Ok baby, it's alright. How long has she been missing for? A couple of hours? Look she'll turn up, you know what that girl's like, she'd spend all day chasing shadows in the forest if she could."

Santana froze. The forest, of course why didn't it occur to her sooner? She remembered that day with perfect clarity. She had taken Brittany by the hand and led her through the trees to a small clearing about a half a mile in. She remembered the tiny squeal of delight when the blonde girl had seen the red and white chequered picnic rug set up, laid out with two cushions, cutlery and of course the two wine glasses. That was the day she had told Brittany she loved her for the first time.

Without even offering and explanation Santana bolted to the car. Driving well beyond the speed limit but not caring, she was pulling up at the edge of the forest in record time. She got out of the car, and without even remembering to lock the doors she simply ran without hesitation, glad that the extensive Cheerio's training had her in good shape. She dodged and weaved between the tall fir trees, stumbling over broken roots in the ground as she flew by at breakneck speed.

At last she saw light shining through the canopy ahead and within a few seconds she burst through the tree line into the clearing. The area was roughly thirty metres wide, and the sun warmed grass was peppered with tiny white daisies that had pushed through over the Spring. It was just as beautiful as the day they had first come here.

Santana's scanned the clearing, and with hitch she froze. The first thing she saw was the sundress. It was pale yellow with white polka dots and a fine white lace bordering the hem and neckline. Even though the girl had her back to her she knew there would be a white silk bow around the waist, she knew this because the dress had been a present to her girlfriend for their one year anniversary. Brittany was sitting with her legs tucked underneath her in the centre of the clearing, hunched over, Santana realised as she crept closer, a small leather bound book.

Tiptoeing closer, she stared with enchantment at the figure before her, enthralled by the way the light pressed up against Brittany's bare shoulder blade, illuminating soft blonde hair in a way that made it seem to shine with a light of its own. Now only a few metre's way, Santana was about to open her mouth to speak so she didn't startle the girl when she noticed a knowing smile playing across her girlfriends face.

She closed the distance and sat down behind the blonde, sliding her legs either side of Brittany's hips and slipping her arms around her waist. She laid a single kiss to the sun warmed skin on Brittany's shoulder, hooking a finger under the loose blonde hair and tucking it neatly out of the way.

"Hey." Santana whispered into the other girl's ear.

"Hey," Brittany smiled, still not taking her eyes off the page in front of her.

"Babe, what are you doing here? You know I nearly had a heart attack this morning when you weren't there."

"But San, I left you a note." Brittany said.

"I didn't see a note..." She wracked her brain. There hadn't been a note had there?

"Well I left one, I put it on my side of the bed." _That explained it_, thought Santana, _I must have kicked it off when I stretched_. Next time she vowed to be a little more observant.

"Doesn't matter," She murmured against her girlfriend's neck, "I found you."

"You always find me," Brittany did tear her eyes from the book now, turning her head so that she could place a kiss on Santana's lips, pressing their heads together for a moment as though reconnecting their souls. She turned her attention back to the book.

"What are you reading?" Santana rested her chin on the other girls shoulder.

"It's a book of fairytales my Mum bought for me when I was little. Sometimes I still read it now and again, just to remember what it was like to be a kid, without any worries."

"Mmm," Santana hummed into her girlfriend's neck, "But you don't have to worry about anything babe, I'll never let anything hurt you."

Brittany simply smiled that beautiful warm smile in response, turning a page and admiring the watercolour unicorn depicted.

"We can go now if you like San, I've nearly finished it anyway."

"No, keep reading Brit, I want to stay here with you for a while."

Brittany sighed contentedly and leaned back into Santana, their bodies moulded together perfectly. Tightening her hold on the other girls waist, as though afraid she might be snatched out of her grasp at any moment now that she'd found her, Santana nuzzled closer and gently kissed Brittany's ear, earning an adorable giggle from the girl in her arms.

"I missed you this morning," She whispered, as though afraid the trees might overhear the words meant for Brittany alone.

"I know."

"I was scared I'd lost you."

"You'll never lose me. I'm always yours."

"I know."

Resting her cheek against Brittany's, feeling the sun heated skin against her own, she was content. If this is what she could have been having all these Sunday's, she'd have given up sleeping in a long time ago. Letting her girlfriend relax into her arms, she whispered the words that she would never tire of saying.

"I love you."


End file.
